Filmmaker and director Jeff Baena died on Friday at the age of 47.
The dark-comedy director and writer known for movies like “The Little Hours” is the long-time partner of Aubrey Plaza. Baena was discovered on Friday morning by his assistant at his Los Angeles residence, according to Variety.
TMZ reported on Saturday that law enforcement officials believe Baena died by suicide, though representatives for Baena did not confirm any cause of death.
Baena is a graduate of New York University and began his career working as an assistant editor to filmmaker David O. Russell. He co-wrote the script for the dark comedy film “I Heart Huckabees” with Russell. Baena’s 2014 directorial debut, “Life After Beth,” featured his partner and future wife, Plaza.
Plaza also starred in Baena’s 2017 film “The Little Hours.”
Plaza cited working with Baena on his first two films as an inspiration for starting her career in production and directing. She spoke to Salon in 2017 about co-producing “The Little Hours” alongside her husband.
“It was an organic next step for me to have a producer credit on that film,” Plaza told Salon. “I was in Jeff’s first two movies and was involved in all of his projects. I was helping with things like casting and pre-production research, so it felt like it made sense.”
Plaza revealed that she and Baena were married in 2021. She told Ellen DeGeneres that their wedding was spontaneous, coinciding with the pair’s tenth anniversary of dating.
“I just said, ‘Hey, it’s our 10-year anniversary. We should do something—get an ice cream cone—do something special.’ And then I joked about getting married,” Plaza told DeGeneres. “I created a very quick love altar in my yard.”
Baena’s other projects include the 2020 film “Horse Girl” and 2022’s “Spin Me Round.”
If you are in crisis, please call the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988, or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741.
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